Hello, Crossroads Family !

We had a good elders meeting last Sunday following the worship service !  We’re grateful for your prayers for all of us on the Elder Team.  It’s good to have Bryan and Tommie joining us on that team.  I’ve shared a few notes below from our meeting, and Forrest will give us a report this coming Sunday morning at the end of the worship service.

It looks like the church schedule is set in regards to ongoing activities for the spring semester :

Immerse

Everyone is invited to the start of the new session of Immerse.  We’ll begin Wednesday, February 11, 7:00-8:15, at the church.  This semester’s session will be in the poetical books of the Bible (Job, Psalms, etc) and will last twelve weeks.  Good times of midweek connection and encouragement !  If you need more information, please speak to Forrest.

Women’s Breakfast & A Bible Study

Women, you’re invited to sign up now for this semester’s Saturday morning studies which will begin February 14, 8-9:15 am, at the church.  A sign-up sheet is at the church, or you may contact Erin Townsend (ektownsend12@gmail.com).  The group will follow a study of the Gospel of Luke called Luke : Gut-level Compassion, by Lisa Harper.  (Don’t forget there is a women’s fellowship breakfast this Saturday, the 17th, at 54 Cafe at 8 am for anyone interested.)

Men’s Recharge

Men, our second year of Recharge begins Thursday, February 19, 6:30-8:00 pm, at the church.  This year’s theme is “Practice What We Preach.”  We’lI look at practical action steps we can take for living out what we believe.  Good fellowship, accountability, and personal growth for all men !  Hope you’ll join us ! 

8-13 Year-olds Bible Class

The upcoming dates for the 8-13 year-olds Bible class are February 1 & 22, March 15 & 29, and April 19.

More …

24-Hour Prayer Vigil

Our 24-hour prayer vigil is coming up !  We’ll be praying as a church continuously for 24 hours starting at 6 am on Monday, January 19th.  If you haven’t signed up for a 1-hour time slot, please sign up at the church or reach out to Catherine Moss.  Catherine will have available for you a set of prayer requests and help for spending an hour in prayer.  There’s still room for you !  Let Catherine know if you have any questions !

Easter Cantata ?

Are you interested in joining others in preparing a cantata for Easter ?  We have a cantata in mind made up of seven contemporary, worshipful songs for Easter !  If you’re interested, please let Jessica know soon so we can gauge the level of interest and work out a schedule for practices.  (You can also let me know by responding to this email if you’d like.)  Singing together is a great way to get to know a small group of people !  In addition, this would be a wonderful way to bless others and yourself through a special Easter service !  Don’t be bashful !  We can use you !

Fellowship Meal

We’ll have a fellowship meal after the worship service on Sunday, February 22.  Please mark your calendar !  We’ve haven’t eaten all together in a while !  More information coming on what you can bring.   

Bible Quiz Night

Have you signed up yet to be part of a team for the Bible Quiz on Saturday, March 28 ?  We’ll be competing in teams of three against each other and against teams from two or three other area churches !  Let’s have fun and grow in our love for God’s Word !  Quiz questions will be from the Gospel of Luke.  You can sign up at the church, or you can contact Clayson.  There’s still time !   

A few notes from the Elders meeting …

• We’ll be meeting on the second Sunday of each month.  If you have something that needs to be addressed by the elders, please keep the second Sunday in mind.

• Among our goals as a team :

• Help guide the church in reaching the goal of paying a full-time pastor’s salary as the first step in moving towards a home of our own.

• Begin to meet with some of the current ministry teams in an effort to help them fulfill their goals.

• Schedule a quarterly study session for the elders on topics that concern the local church.

• Implement some practical steps to help us be better shepherds of the church and to better facilitate relationship-building.

• We discussed some of the needs among members of the church and prayed for them.

This Sunday, January 18 

I’ll be preaching on the subject of prayer in preparation for our 24-hour prayer vigil and as part of my series on Real Life Christianity.  The text will be Genesis 32:1 – 33:17 which includes a prayer of Jacob which we’ll look at more closely (32:9-12).

Personal

Thank you for your prayers and understanding during this busy season of show choir at the high school.  Thanks, too, for your prayers for my granddaughter, Jazlyn, in Portland.  She is making slow but steady progress, although a date for discharge from the hospital is still uncertain.  Of particuar concern at this stage is a condition related to underdeveloped retinas in her eyes.  Treatment and progress for this are among the things that need to take place before she can go home.  Thanks for your prayers for Jazlyn and her parents, Dan and Betsy.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

I hope you have a great week and, Lord willing, we’ll see each other this Sunday morning !

— Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family !

This is going to be really quick and probably full of errors !  I desire very much to be with all of you and want to communicate at least a little something before I head to the high school for two hours of show choir rehearsal tonight.

This is the super-busy season of the year for me at the high school.  I will greatly appreciate your patience as we begin the competition portion of our season.  In addition to three hours every morning at the high school, I will need to be at an extra 4-hour rehearsal next Tuesday night, a performance next Thursday night, then about 12 hours of extra rehearsal the following weekend.  Beyond that, I’ll be away with the choirs on seven of the next eight Saturdays for all-day (and part of the night) competitions at other Missouri high schools.  It does limit me in my availability and ability to serve in the church to the degree that I want and you need.  This is one of the reasons we’re moving to a full-time pastor’s position starting in September !  Please lean on our other elders and each other too !  I know you’re already doing that !  Thank you !

I’m so looking forward to Sunday !  I hope you are too !  At Sunday’s worship service, we’ll be hearing some information on some special things coming up :

• Catherine will share some details about our 24-hour prayer vigil, January 19.  Please sign up for a 1-hour time slot on the sign-up sheet in the back of the church.  There are many creative ways to pray for an hour, and if you want to pair up with someone, feel free to do that too !  Our focus will be to really pray earnestly for the people and ministry of Crossroads.  Thank you !

• Clayson will have some details to share about our Bible Quiz competition on Saturday, March 28.  Please mark your calendar !  We’ll be competing in small teams against each other and against some teams from another local church !  Clayson will have a sign-up sheet this Sunday as well so that you can form your team.

• There will be a women’s fellowship breakfast at 54 Cafe at 8 am on Saturday, January 17.  All women and your friends are welcome !  Then, Women’s Breakfast & Bible Study starts back up again Saturday, February 14, 8-9:15, at the church with a study in the Gospel of Luke.

• There are some exciting preparations being made for Men’s Recharge which begins Thursday, February 19, at 6:30 pm.  The theme will be “Practice what you preach.”  Men, if we had 75% of our Crossroads men there, what an amazing group and amazing fellowship we would have !  Would you please mark your calendar, commit to coming, and invite a friend or neighbor to come with you.  Cris will share more information and have a flyer available soon.

• Finally, Jessica and I are interested in knowing who would be interested in being part of an Easter cantata.  Yes, that means a choir !  Wouldn’t that be exciting for Easter !  We’ve looked at a cantata we feel really good about but are curious to know … are you interested ?  Once you let us know, we can discuss options for practice times.  If we had 15-16 people, it would be a great choir.  We’re capable of that !  Think about it !  Fun times !

• A praise :  The giving at Crossroads for 2025 was at what must surely be an all-time high.  Thank you for your generosity.  This is a healthy sign of your commitment and faith.  Also a wonderful blessing from the Lord.

See you Sunday, Lord willing !

Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family !

It was great to be back with you last Sunday following a few days away to visit my children and new grandbaby Jazlyn in Portland, Oregon.  Thank you for your prayers for my trip and for my family members on the West Coast !  It was a wonderful time, and I’m thankful little Jazzy is growing and getting good care.  She was up to nearly three pounds in weight when I was there.

I’m looking forward to our Christmas Eve service tomorrow night at 6:30 and have heard from many of you that you’ll be there.  Be sure to bring along friends and family members or someone else you know who could be blessed by a few minutes focusing on the reason for all the celebration at Christmas !  It will be a simple service, mostly Scripture and singing of traditional carols.  About an hour in length so you can move on to other activities or family events you have scheduled tomorrow night.  Thanks to everyone who is helping in big and small ways to make the service possible !

Thank you too — a bit late — for the good congregational meeting we had two Sundays ago.  It was an important step for us as a church.  As was mentioned in the financial report, we will need our giving to increase by about $200 per week in order to meet our new budget goals which include a full-time pastor’s salary.  That’s not really all that much !  While I’m not involved in the church’s finances, if we were to suppose that there are 20 individuals or families giving to the church, that represents a $10/week increase for each of those givers.  I believe we can also anticipate new growth and giving in the church this coming year.  Thank you for your generous giving !  It’s a discipline and a quality of life the Lord wants to develop in us !

Today, I received an email from the Evangelical Free Church asking me to update information on Crossroads for their upcoming 2026 Church Directory.  There was quite a bit to update, including attendance (which I updated from 48 to 60), membership (which I updated from 20 to 28) and budget (significant increase).  I’m thankful for each of you !  This is a church only God could have imagined and put together !   

More …

Memorial Service for Deborah Jones

The memorial service for Debby Jones will be held at 1 pm this coming Sunday at our church.  You are welcome to join the Jones family, and thank you to those who have volunteered to be there already as a support and outreach to the Joneses.  Charlie and Ethel and their children have attended Crossroads off and on for a number of years.  (Debby is Charlie’s mother.)  We have been able to help financially, through our Blessing Fund, with some of the family’s funeral expenses.  This is an answer to prayer !  You may remember that earlier this year we had discussed helping a family at Christmas time ; It looks like God brought us the family we were thinking about.

Tom Vacation

I’ll be taking time off December 29-January 4.  Mark Tice will preach in my place Sunday, January 4.  Thanks, Mark !  I look forward to some personal time and will be doing my best to not respond to text messages, phone calls, and emails.   If you have a need next week, please be sure to reach out to one of the other church elders.  Thank you !

Elders Meeting

Our new Elder Board will meet for the first time Sunday, January 11.  We thank God for the new elders and for the entire team :  Bryan, Cris, Forrest, Ryan, Shane, and Tommie.  Please pray for God to make clear to us how we can best serve Him and the congregation in the new year.  Thank you !

Women’s Breakfast & Bible Study

Women, mark a couple dates on your calendar :  There will be a women’s breakfast fellowship at 54 Cafe on Saturday, January 17, at 8 am.  Then, the spring semester of women’s Breakfast & a Bible Study will begin Saturday, February 14, 8 am, at the church.  Feel free to contact Erin Townsend for more information (ektownsend12@gmail.com).

24-Hour Prayer Vigil

The January 19th Day of Prayer will be a 24-hour prayer vigil such as we took part in last July.  Catherine Moss will have a sign-up sheet for us at the church so you can sign up for an hour within that 24-hour period.  We’ll have more information and helps coming in January, but please sign up for a time slot now and join in one of the most important things we can do as a church for the new year.

Speaking of prayer, Sam Vigue asks prayer for a friend of his, David, in the capital city of Nigeria.  While Christians in Nigeria’s capital are not under serious threat, those who live in the countryside and small villages are suffering violent attacks from bandits and terrorists.  Travel for Christians in Nigeria is restricted due to the risk of kidnapping.  Kidnappers demand exorbitant ransoms, and sometimes the person abducted is killed whether or not the ransom is paid.  Thanks for making a difference in this spiritual battle by interceding for these brothers and sisters of ours.

8-13 year-old Bible Class

The next 8-13 year-olds class will take place during the sermon on Sunday, January 11.  Other dates for the class are February 1 and 22, March 15 and 29, and April 19.  Thanks, Emily, for leading the group so well !

I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow evening at 6:30 !

We will worship on Sunday morning at 10:00.

Memorial service for Debby Jones, 1 pm, on Sunday.

Yours in Christ,

Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family !

As I think about what I’d like to say to you in this week’s email, many things come to mind.  First of all, thank you for your willingness to follow and grow a church together !  Thanks for caring for each other and for me !

Of course, you’re aware that we have a congregational meeting this Sunday following the worship service.  And there is a Christmas party and dinner for all women this Sunday evening from 5-7:00.  I look forward to God’s blessing on both those activities.  As concerns the congregational meeting, here are a few reminders :

1.  Everyone is invited.  We would love to have everyone stay, even if you are not a member of the church.

2.  If you’re a voting member at Crossroads, we’ll have a vote on the three men nominated to next year’s Elder Board.  They are Forrest Drury (nominated for a second term) and Tommie Ray and Bryan Townsend (each nominated to a first term).  Each one will be voted on separately and, according to our by-laws, must receive at least a 75% affirmative vote.  The effect will be to grow our Elder Board to seven members rather than five.

3.  We’ll vote on two proposals to our church by-laws.  One would permit us to receive absentee votes when we vote on something as a church.  The other would update the Statement of Faith from the Evangelical Free Church that we include in our church constitution and by-laws.  Each of these proposals requires a 66% majority approval.

4.  We’ll have a financial report and will vote on a budget for next year.  If you did not get to see a copy of that 2026 budget proposal last Sunday, let me know and either I or Donna can email it to you.

5.  We’ll have time for some ministry updates, and we’ll spend time in prayer.  Perhaps the most important thing we’ll do is to pray.  Even now, would you pray in advance for the Lord to lead us in our meeting ?  Thank you !

When we think about all God has to say to us — and the mission that is still in place to make disciples of all nations — it may seem like a lot to wrap our minds around.  We’re challenged weekly, if not daily, to grow in new ways ; we recognize we have a huge responsibility to shine the light of God’s love into our world ; we’re conscious of sin and of having hurt others around us, and we desire repentance and reconciliation ; we want to love the Lord more genuinely.  How do we keep up with all God is speaking into our lives ?

I was re-reading a favorite old book of mine this week called In Praise of Plodders.  The idea of the book is that it’s by plodding along daily that we achieve and become all God intends for us.  Charles Spurgeon said it was by perseverance that the snail reached the ark !  The great missionary William Carey, who provided Scriptures in over 40 languages and dialects for more than 300 million people in the 1700s and 1800s, said, “If anyone gives me credit for being a plodder, he will describe me justly.  Anything beyond this will be too much.  I can plod.  That is my only genius.  I can persevere in any definite pursuit.  To this I owe everything.”

The word “plod” comes from an Old English word for “puddle.”  A plodder is someone who gets his feet wet, wades through the water and mud, and makes it to his destination.  He keeps going !  In Isaiah 40, the prophet Isaiah describes the life of one who knows God as being like flying with eagles wings, like running without growing weary, and like walking.  Notice that walking is the last on the list … perhaps because it’s the hardest !

I have a stack of Bible verses handwritten on 3×5 index cards.  These are Bible verses I’ve memorized over many years.  When you see me out walking, one of the things I’m hopefully doing is reviewing my Bible memory verses.  I consider them to be my friends.  To keep them fresh and accessible in my memory, I have to review them regularly.  I only wish I knew more !  I’ve often thought I would someday preach a sermon based on my personal memory verses.  Someday I will !  Here are the fifteen short verses I know from the book of Proverbs that I’ve been reviewing this week.  Though this is somewhat random, see what God might be saying to you through them :

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.

Proverbs 10:11

He who guards his mouth preserves his life ; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Proverbs 13:3

In all toil, there is profit.

Proverbs 14:23

A tranquil heart is life to the body, but passion is rottenness to the bones.

Proverbs 14:30

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

The first to plead his case seems right until another comes and examines him.

Proverbs 18:17

A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 19:11

Listen to advice and accept instruction that you may gain wisdom for the future.

Proverbs 19:20

He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and be unanswered.

Proverbs 21:13

The borrower becomes the lender’s slave.

Proverbs 22:7

Do not weary yourself to gain wealth.

Proverbs 23:4

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper ; he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.

Proverbs 28:13

He who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.

Proverbs 28:19

Fools vent their anger ; the wise quietly hold it back.

Proverbs 29:11

Every word of God is tested ; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.  Do not add to His words, lest He reprove you and you be proved a liar.

Proverbs 30:5-6

That’s quite a sermon !  What a great life we’ll lead — peaceful, purposeful, fulfilling — if we’ll just take a small piece of what God’s teaching us and put it ploddingly into practice !Thoughts and reminders …

As I write, I am hearing that Tommie Ray’s surgery has gone well today.  We thank God, and let’s continue to pray for Tommie and Diane !

For the lighting of the Advent wreath this Sunday, I’m asking women who were part of the Saturday morning study group to come to the front, help light the candles, and (those who wish) share a little something about what you’ve gained through your time together this year.  Thank you !

Thanks to Jenny and others who facilitated such a wonderful outreach caroling effort last Sunday afternoon at Nathan Richard Care Center.  We were blessed and pray the residents and staff there were as well.  May God grant further bridges of relationship and blessing.

We’re planning a church-wide Prayer Day on Martin Luther King, Jr Day, January 19.  We did this a year ago.  It’s not the 24-hour chain this time ; simply a day of prayer and fasting.  We’ll have some instructions and gather some prayer requests to share in the weeks ahead.

David Prickett has some Christian music CDs in the back of the worship area.  He would love for you to take one — free !

I look forward to seeing you, Lord willing, this Sunday morning at 10:00 !

— Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family !

I’m happy to connect with you this week and to say again that there are some really positive things happening at Crossroads, … thanks to God’s work in and through you !

Thank you for the positive ways you’ve responded to the recent teaching on hospitality.  Building strong relationships, both among those we’ve known for a long time and among those who are new in our lives, is so important in any church and really happens best outside the walls and regular activities of the church.  Good things happen inside the walls of the church, too, but the binding of hearts and experiences take place, over the long run, at times and places outside church.

I hope you’ll plan to help us reach out to residents and staff at Nathan Richard this Sunday afternoon !  The plan is this :  (1) Meet at the church at 3:30.  (2)  Walk or drive over to Nathan Richard for caroling and to pass out gifts.  (3)  Return to the church for refreshments and something to drink.  If you have any questions or want to help in some way, check with Jenny Rives.  Thanks, Jenny, for helping us get all this organized !

Our 8-13 year-old Bible Class will meet during the sermon this Sunday.  Also, the young people from that group will light the Advent wreath this Sunday morning.  Parents, the plan is for the kids to do some painting during their class time, so we want them to wear clothing appropriate for painting !  Thanks to Emily for her good leadership of this group every month !

Below is an update from last Sunday’s elders meeting along with information about the upcoming congregational meeting.  Thanks for your involvement in the life of Crossroads Church !

Nominations for Elder Board

I’m grateful for our current Elder Team.  We had a lengthy meeting this past Sunday.  These men are working hard for the Lord and for the church while carrying weighty responsibilities in their personal lives as well.  We came to the conclusion that one of the challenges of shepherding a small, growing church is trying to handle both the organizational / financial / practical needs of the church and trying to handle people needs at the same time !  Consider this list of some of the things that are on the mind of our church elders :

• how to welcome and assimilate new people into the church 
• how to help ministry teams develop vision, reach their goals, and stay healthy
• understanding with some degree of specificity what’s taking place at church (sometimes communication can get hampered unintentionally) ; providing good oversight
• helping meet needs of young people and integrating them into the life of the church
• helping meet the needs of young families and children
• maintaining a healthy and realistic calendar of activities
• facilitating development of relationships
• overseeing finances and practical needs inside and outside the building 
• understanding how to handle the space needs in our current meeting place
• understanding how we should approach the need for a future, more permanent, home for Crossroads
• spiritual growth among our church family members
• facilitating contact information :  sounds simple, but it’s not easy these days to keep up with best ways of communicating with everyone
• managing conflict and misunderstandings
• caring for the many ordinary and unexpected physical needs among members of the congregation
• being faithful in prayer
• growing in the Word and being able, as a team, to give unified answers to theological and church-related questions ; addressing difficult issues and questions within the church.

Our recent Nominating Committee brought the names of three men to us as candidates for next year’s Elder Board.  We have decided to accept all three and submit them to you for your approval at the congregational meeting on December 14.  They are Forrest Drury (nominated for a second 3-year term) ; Tommie Ray (nominated for a first 3-year term) ; and Bryan Townsend (nominated for a first 3-year term).  

This would mean enlarging our Elder Board by two positions. In other words, next year we would have an Elder Board of seven rather than five.  We believe this will add good, new perspectives to our elder team ; it will allow us to share the load of responsibilities listed above ; and by adding two new men, we will grow the number of men at Crossroads who have had experience in this particular leadership role.

Each of the nominees needs to receive approval by at least 75% of those voting at the meeting on the 14th.  It’s important to understand that they are not running against each other !    Each one will be voted on separately and needs to receive 75% approval.  Thank you for your willingness to pray over this decision.  I look forward to our meeting and look forward to a great Elder Board moving forward !  Thanks very much again to our Nominating Committee : Mark Tice, Catherine Moss, Diane Ray, Tommie Ray, and Heather Vestal.

More Congregational Meeting

We have a good-looking church budget proposal for next year to present to you.  We will vote on it at the meeting on December 14.  A copy will be available this coming Sunday for you to take and look over prior to the meeting.  Thanks especially to Donna Rodriguez, our current Church Treasurer, and to Diane Knoche, Cris, and Marvin who were helps in this process.  The budget will reflect our desire to move to a full-time pastor’s salary beginning in September 2026.

Finally, we need to vote on two changes to our church by-laws.  These two changes need to be voted on separately, and each needs a 2/3 approval by those voting.

• The first is to change the wording on voting to allow for the possibility of members voting when they are not able to physically attend a congregational meeting.  This would involve changing  wording that currently reads “members present and voting” to simply “members voting” in five places in the by-laws, then adding a paragraph that reads as follows :  “A member may vote in abstention at congregational meetings.  A paper or digital absentee vote must be submitted to one of the elders 24 hours prior to the congregational meeting.”

• Second, our church by-laws currently include the 2008 version of the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America.  That Statement of Faith was changed in 2015 in the paragraph on Christ’s return to say, “We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2015), instead of, “We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2008).  The  proposal at our meeting on the 14th is to bring our church by-laws up-to-date and in line with the current Statement of Faith of the EFCA.

Thank you for your willingness to be in prayer for the meeting on December 14th.  I hope everyone will plan to stay.  You are welcome to attend the meeting even if you’re not currently a voting member of the church.  We’re happy this coming Sunday to receive Mark Scheib as a new voting member at Crossroads !  We’re grateful for Mark and Elizabeth and the blessing they are to our church family !

Finally …

As you know, we have a wonderful opportunity for women to celebrate God’s love, and their love for each other, at a Christmas party December 14th at 5 pm.  Here are the details :

Come join us for a wonderful time of fellowship and gratitude as we celebrate the Christmas season together. If you’re interested in bringing a soup or dessert, please sign up on the back table at church. In addition, if you’re interested in participating in the gift exchange, please bring a gift that you think might be a blessing to someone else in this season. You are welcome to bring things from home, and if you are buying something, we ask that you not spend over $10. Anything goes that you think would extend grace and love to someone at church during this holiday season. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Emily Lewis or Erin Townsend.

Also, we have new updates from the McCallister and Shoemaker families, two of our church’s missionaries.  We’ll make those available at the church.  I hope you’ll take time to read and pray !

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.    (Romans 15:13)

Thanks for all you do !  Thanks for patiently abiding in Christ and following Him as a family.

— Tom